I've just come back from the Addaction/Wired In 2nd National Recovery Conference in Liverpool, and it's been an amazing few days. 'Recovery' from addiction is a concept that means different things to different people (for example, being able to completely abstain from a substance or adherence to a maintenance therapy programme; being in a position to seek employment and hold down a job; having good relationships with friends and family, and so on), which really hasn't received the attention it deserves from policy-makers, who are perhaps obliged to view addiction as a criminal issue rather than a healthcare one. This annual conference (this is its second year) brings together professional practitioners such as drug workers and GPs, and what are known as 'recovery champions', individuals who have overcome addictions to alcohol or drugs and now act as peer mentors to those who are just beginning the process. The idea is that each group can learn from the other, and this flow of information will help to inform policies on an organizational level, and possibly eventually lead to reform on a more political or legislative level. It is also a recognition and celebration of the achievements of individuals who have managed to address their addictions and are now living fuller and happier lives.
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As an addendum to my previous bus-related post (titled, funnily enough, On The Bus), I had to get the super-early 5.55am to London last week. This involved getting up in the middle of the night (literally) and somehow managing to get dressed and find my way to Parkside while in a state of shock and awe. However! Once installed in my favourite seat (third row from the front; on the right-hand side as you face the back of the bus), it was like I had been welcomed into a little family... everybody knew everybody else, including the driver, and all my fellow passengers were bantering away like it was a gathering of old friends. This I liked very much, and such camaraderie would almost tempt me to get the super-early bus every morning (I like to be a part of things).
This time I went as far as Embankment, and the views over the river were so beautiful I completely forgot how tired I was - there's something about the light in London; it's so silvery and metallic and sharp. The cloud formations over the Thames are usually pretty spectacular as well. I then walked past Trafalgar and Leicester Squares, and through Soho onto Great Portland Street, which was quite a pleasant mini-tour. Coming back in the afternoon I walked along Embankment, and for the first time I bitterly regretted not having a fancy phone that could take photographs - the sky was hazy and pink behind St. Paul's Cathedral and the tall buildings of the City in the distance; there were some fabulous dramatic clouds overhead, all fluffy and orange-tinged; the branches of the almost-bare trees along the river were gnarled and twisted like wrought iron, framing the sky; and the lights that are strung along Embankment were just beginning to twinkle: the whole scene was like a fairytale and I was completely mesmerised. I don't think I could ever live in London (oh! the stress and the pressure to rush everywhere all the time) but it is such a beautiful city once the crowds disperse... The Festival of Ideas is an annual celebration of the arts, humanities, and social sciences organized by the University of Cambridge, and these are the events I recently attended (all free!):
Where next for the Arab Spring? Cambridge Voices Gender Difference: Nature vs. Nurture Perfume and Poetry Living with Violins Sometimes I take the bus to London, and I've started to really enjoy the journey. I get the 6:55am from Parkside, which requires dragging myself out of bed at 5:45am and cycling to the bus stop from where I live. Now that the clocks have changed it's getting bright when I cycle in and it's so much nicer...even though it's still really early in the morning everything feels more human when it's not dark. The view from the top of Castle Hill as I cycle down, all pink and re-born (the beginning of a brand new day!), is beautiful and I feel incredibly grateful to be part of it all. That early in the morning the bus always leaves on time (some of the other buses can be horrendously late) and we putter out to Trumpington Park and Ride to pick up another batch of passengers.
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Really, it contains a little bit of everything, from a celebration of science and the English language to the joys of travel and the Shipping Forecast. The title ('Meanderings') is a fairly accurate description of its content: I write about different things as the mood takes me, but hopefully there's something in here for everyone... Categories
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March 2021
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And on another note... |
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